Haim: Women in Music Pt III review – a cathartic walk on the blue side of life
The three sisters switch into melancholy for this richly searching, explosively produced third album - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarBessie Jones: Get in Union review – 60 songs straight from the gut and heart
This remastered set of Jones’s recordings with the Georgia Sea Island Singers richly celebrates a traditional vocalist of key historical importance - Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarRose City Band: Summerlong review – a gorgeous record
One-man band Ripley Johnson casts an unashamedly sunny eight-song spell - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarBob Dylan: Rough and Rowdy Ways review – a testament to his eternal greatness
Full of bleak and brooding rhythm and blues, Rough and Rowdy Ways reveals Dylan at his lyrical best - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarJake Blount: Spider Tales review - instant classic reinstates folk's black, queer roots
This debut album uses limber banjo and fiddle to delve into subversive stories of violence and survival - Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarBritish Violin Sonatas Vol 3 review – Tasmin Little bows out in style
The much-loved violinist ends as she began, putting less familiar repertoire centre stage - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarPerfume Genius: Set My Heart on Fire Immediately review – pop poet discovers new powers
Backed by starry session musicians, Mike Hadreas makes wild but confident leaps between styles on this rich, fascinating LP - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarPole: 123 review – calming, abstract, minimal genius
This reissue of Stefan Betke’s first three albums shows how the electronic auteur turned a technical glitch into an innovative, intimate and warm style - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarBC Camplight: Shortly After Takeoff review – a tumultuous pop masterpiece
Brian Christinzio distills beauty from pain and allows melodies and hooks to hang around on this triumphant album - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarMiguel Atwood-Ferguson and Carlos Niño: Chicago Waves review – a chameleonic voyage with jazz rigour
This largely improvised set by two US multi-instrumentalists is a sonic journey from minimalism to ambience with panglobal percussive effects - John Lewis
starstarstarstarstarSolitude review – loneliness or reverie? Intense songs with lockdown resonance
Singer James Gilchrist and pianist Anna Tilbrook explore aspects of being alone with composers including Purcell and Schubert on a powerful, poised album - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarPaul Weller: On Sunset review – a mellower modfather
The Changingman reveals his spiritual side on his funky, shimmering 15th solo album - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarDenai Moore: Modern Dread review – hypnotic, surrealist bid for freedom
Moore’s genre-blending electronic pop is an unsettling exploration of isolation and selfhood in an over-connected age - Timi Sotire
starstarstarstarstarKeleketla! review – London meets Soweto for multi-genre exuberance
Coldcut and an inspiring array of South African and British musicians – plus the late Tony Allen – combine on this beguiling album - Ammar Kalia
starstarstarstarstarDallapiccola: Il Prigioniero review – hope, despair and musical muscle in fine prison opera
The Italian composer’s lyrical yet economical drama confirms its status as one of the finest short stage works of the 20th century - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarMargo Price: That's How Rumors Get Started review – country survivor who can take on anything
Having lived through death, prison, homelessness and drug epiphanies, Margo Price is well equipped with country music’s subject matter – but treats it without sentimentality - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarJessie Ware: What's Your Pleasure? review – rooted in lustful disco
The singer-songwriter swaps luxe pop for the energy of the dancefloor on her heady fourth album - Tara Joshi
starstarstarstarstarNadine Shah: Kitchen Sink review – razor-sharp observations
The singer-songwriter’s follow-up to Holiday Destination is a slow-burning joy - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarArca: Kick I review – dissonance meets overground ambitions
The Venezuelan electronic innovator adds guests and party tunes to her trademark glitchy sounds - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarKansas Smitty's: Things Happened Here review – irresistibly groovy
The east London bar-band’s knowing patchwork of jazz styles is ambitious and fun - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarZemlinsky: Die Seejungfrau review – baffling neglect of a glorious mermaid
This fine recording of Zemlinsky’s sumptuous late-Romantic work is another reminder of why the composer is unfairly neglected - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarSports Team: Deep Down Happy review – debut album with plenty to say
This six-piece band marry Britpop sensibilities with a US alt-rock sound - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarPhoebe Bridgers: Punisher review – from the heart
The LA songsmith’s second album doesn’t disappoint - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarBob Dylan: Rough and Rowdy Ways review – enthralling, mischievous – and very male
Dylan’s new album contains multitudes. Is it a last boomer hurrah? - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarClyne: Dance; Elgar Cello Concerto review – calm, motoric energy and gorgeous fusions
Anna Clyne’s impressive new work is a cello concerto inspired by Persian poetry and outshining the familiar Elgar work in Inbal Segev’s performance - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarNeil Young: Homegrown review – his great lost album, finally unearthed
Recorded after a relationship breakdown then never released, this mid-70s set has a pleasurable lightness of touch rather than big statement songs - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarKevin Figes Quartet: Changing Times review – constantly fascinating
The multi-instrumentalist’s latest quartet recording is a mind-expanding feast for the ears - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarChloe x Halle: Ungodly Hour review – classy R&B from precocious all-rounders
The Bailey sisters’ second album is sophisticated and inventive – and about as far from Disney princesses as you can imagine - Rachel Aroesti
starstarstarstarstarTamar-kali: Shirley Original Soundtrack review – fascinatingly eerie and claustrophobic
This incredibly effective score for a new psychodrama provides vocal dissonance and invention without sacrificing an air of terror - John Lewis
starstarstarstarstarJehnny Beth: To Love Is to Live review – solo Savage defiant and intimate
Moving between vulnerability and aggression, Beth’s solo album contains multitudes, from sex to cinematic washes, ballads to thrash, released with a collection of erotic stories - Aimee Cliff
starstarstarstarstarVerdi: Otello review – Kaufmann captains the drama but Pappano steers
Jonas Kaufmann’s interpretation of Otello moves between intensity and doubt while Pappano builds tremendous orchestral urgency and pace - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarPaul Weller: On Sunset review – warm, wise and still capable of surprise
With enough melodies to appease the feather-cut-dads fanbase, and enough experimentation to slake his own curveball tastes, this is have-your-cake-and-eat-it Weller - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarRolling Blackouts Coastal Fever: Sideways to New Italy review – slightly less sharp
Despite flashes of brilliance, it’s difficult-second-album territory for the indie band from Melbourne - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarBrigid Mae Power: Head Above the Water review – quotidian magic
(Fire) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarGoGo Penguin: GoGo Penguin review – adrenaline rush
(Blue Note) - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarLady Gaga: Chromatica review – colour, kindness and connection
After a po-faced stab at country, Lady Gaga returns to the land of make-believe on a vivid new album that excites and heals - Emily Mackay
starstarstarstarstarAmbush: Ask My Brother review – fierce dispatch from a hostile state
The London rapper rages at inequity and prejudice in a confident, impassioned defence of young black lives - Jesse Bernard
starstarstarstarstarSiti Muharam: Siti of Unguja review – scion of taarab pioneer redefines it
The great granddaughter of famed taarab singer Siti Binti Saad pays homage to a powerful female legacy in her own elastic, emotional style - Ammar Kalia
starstarstarstarstarDaugherty: This Land Sings review – exuberant polyglot Woody Guthrie celebration
Michael Daugherty’s tribute chronicles Guthrie’s life in 17 fluent pieces for soprano, baritone and ensemble, with tints of US music from folk to jazz - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarJessie Ware: What's Your Pleasure? review – dancefloor diva back where she belongs
Without the burden of reinvention, Ware’s fourth album of defiantly sexy, plush post-disco is a flirtatious joy - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarBlake Mills: Mutable Set review – an exercise in humid world creation
Producer Blake Mills steps into the spotlight on his abstract, atmospheric fourth album - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarJo Harrop and Jamie McCredie: Weathering the Storm review – they get everything right
This north-east duo’s debut captivates from beginning to end - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarCoriky: Coriky review – keeping it hardcore
Former members of Minor Threat, Fugazi and the Evens deliver a bracing blast of moral, melodic US punk - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarElgar & Beach: Piano Quintets review – the Takács and Garrick Ohlsson in a passionate embrace
Ohlsson joins the Takács Quartet to delve deep into Elgar’s intimate 1918 work, alongside restless Amy Beach - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarLady Gaga: Chromatica review – Gaga rediscovers the riot on her most personal album
Returning to the sound of her maximalist electro-pop heyday, Gaga explores buried trauma, mental illness and the complexities of fame on this return to form - Michael Cragg
starstarstarstarstarWhit Dickey Trio: Expanding Light review – pin-sharp free jazz finds new heat
Drummer Dickey, saxophonist Rob Brown and bassist Brandon Lopez entwine in tidal ebbs and flows - John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarJack Garratt: Love, Death and Dancing review – despair, recovery and reinvention
Crushed by the weight of expectation after being tipped for big things, Garratt seizes control on a mature second album laced with trauma and disappointment - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarTim Burgess: I Love the New Sky review – unabashedly uplifting
The Charlatans frontman comes full circle with effortless assurance - Emily Mackay
starstarstarstarstarCyrillus Kreek: The Suspended Harp of Babel review – music of another place and time
The mysterious work of Estonia’s Cyrillus Kreek find full expression in this atmospheric recording - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarNídia: Não Fales Nela Que a Mentes review – intimate introspection from Lisbon producer
(Príncipe)Nídia shines in her new, more meditative album, showcasing a breadth of dance genres with a keen eye for emotion and turmoil - Tayyab Amin
starstarstarstarstarFranck: Le Chasseur Maudit; Psyché; Les Éolides review – vivid symphonic poems to rekindle a reputation
Franck has a decent claim to being the most influential French composer of the 19th century – this is a reminder of the clarity of his orchestral vision - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarWitch 'n' Monk: Witch 'n' Monk review – Latin flautist and punk soprano make discordant, unearthly joy
(Tzadik Records)Heidi Heidelberg and Mauricio Velasierra’s genre-blitzing mashups pull in everything from opera to postpunk - John Lewis
starstarstarstarstarNicola Benedetti: Elgar Violin Concerto review – full-throttle, sinuous, subtle and electric
Benedetti/London Philharmonic Orchestra/Jurowski/Limonov(Decca)Benedetti’s tone and decisiveness is made for this work, and she brings an understated edge to the added miniatures, too - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarMoses Sumney: Græ Part Two review – introspective magic
Sumney’s “art rock and black classical” double album concludes with quieter highs - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarArion: Voyage of a Slavic Soul review – rich lyricism from Natalya Romaniw
The on-the-rise soprano excels in this deeply personal Russian-Czech recital - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarPlace: Ecuador review – a wild night in Quito
Shuffling Mestizo melodies meets eerie techno in this stellar compilation taken from Ecuador’s pulsating club scene - Ammar Kalia
starstarstarstarstarBlake Mills: Mutable Set review – an ethereal journey into pop's avant garde
With his fourth solo album the acclaimed producer faces down the confusion of modern life with intoxicating calm - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarKehlani: It Was Good Until It Wasn't review – talent shines in pansexual soap opera
The singer whose personal life has become a public spectacle drowns out the noise with these bold yet subtle R&B tracks - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarTom Green Septet: Tipping Point review – seamless flow
(Spark) - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarHolst: The Cloud Messenger review – ravishing late romanticism
Choir of King’s College, London, Strand Ensemble/ Fort(Delphian) - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarJoJo: Good to Know review – mature pop from a clear-eyed star
With this long-awaited fourth album, the former teen idol has finally arrived as the kind of artist she was always meant to be - Aimee Cliff
starstarstarstarstarLaura Jurd’s Dinosaur: To the Earth review – eloquent and spirited
The British trumpeter’s third album with her Dinosaur quartet hooks your attention with the very first chord - John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarSchoenberg: Pelleas und Melisande; Erwartung review – dramatic extremes
Edward Gardner finds the links between Schoenberg’s early orchestral score and the paranoid musical expressionism of his later symphonic poem - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarSantrofi: Alewa review – a welcome return for Ghanaian highlife
(Outhere) - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarKirsty Merryn: Our Bright Night review – thieves, sailors and nuns mix heady balm
(Self-released)Merryn’s second album is full of pared-back, piano-led mood pieces, her voice a treat for the soul - Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarVéronique Gens: Nuits review - is there another singer this compelling?
Gens/I Giardini(Alpha)Gens’s nuanced, beguiling singing in this selection of 19th-century mélodies clarifies a sometimes unconvincing selection - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarLorenzo Senni: Scacco Matto review – rave poet dials up the intensity
(Warp)The Italian producer charges the euphoria of dancefloor anticipation with punk spirit in these joyous, poignant tracks - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarLaura Marling: Song for Our Daughter review – better than ever
- Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarKurt Elling: Secrets Are the Best Stories review – oblique brilliance
The ‘voice in a million’ tackles another clutch of contemporary issues with help from a few talented friends - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarFiona Apple: Fetch the Bolt Cutters review – a strange, exceptional record
Offbeat, amusing and wistful, the New Yorker’s long-awaited fifth album finds her in dazzling form - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarBeethoven: The Complete Piano Concertos review – a fleet-fingered labour of love
Stewart Goodyear, BBC National Orchestra of Wales/ Constantine (Orchid Classics) - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarGerry Cinnamon: The Bonny review – Scottish stadium sensation keeps it simple
His lyrics lack the vivid character studies of old, but there is still plenty of cleverness hidden in this prosaic songwriting - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarDonna Missal: Lighter review – progressive torch singer sounds strangely retro
The second album by singer-songwriter Missal continues to explore her biggest rock/pop influences: Sheryl, Shania and Stevie - Aimee Cliff
starstarstarstarstarThe Streets: None of Us Are Getting Out of This Life Alive review – from lad to dad
The musical landscape has shifted from Mike Skinner’s noughties tales of life and laddism, and this mixtape brings in the new guard from Ms Banks to Idles - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarDream Wife: So When You Gonna... review – a punk band that still sounds like one
The London-based trio’s second album is an enjoyably jagged, ambitious cacophony - Kate Hutchinson
starstarstarstarstarMulatu Astatke & Black Jesus Experience: To Know Without Knowing review – bright Ethio-jazz
The Melbourne collective and 76-year-old Astatke play wedding songs, political rap and cross-continental fusions - John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarArca: KiCk i review – joyful sonic vision of what pop could be
Alejandra Ghersi’s new set is a subversive and mischievous fusion of aural fireworks and psychedelic lyricism aided by Björk, Shygirl, Rosalía and Sophie - John Twells
starstarstarstarstarNeil Young: Homegrown review – desolate lost breakup album
Young’s ditched 1975 album is one for completists only - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarJehnny Beth: To Love Is to Live review – intense and provocative
The Savages frontwoman goes solo with an accompanying erotic short story collection - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarDiplo: Presents Thomas Wesley Chapter One: Snake Oil review – country cash-in
Diplo’s first solo album in 16 years is more Cash Money Records than Johnny Cash - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarKSI: Dissimulation review – a pugnacious debut
The boxing, rapping British YouTube star enters hip-hop’s major league - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarSteve Earle and the Dukes: Ghosts of West Virginia review – testimony to a coal-mining tragedy
Earle commemorates a fatal explosion 10 years ago – and reaches out to the blue-collar communities affected - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarThe 1975: Notes on a Conditional Form review – music for the no-filter generation
Piling on genres and themes, the unwieldy NOACF smartly interprets contemporary chaos yet seriously lacks quality control - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarKehlani: It Was Good Until It Wasn't review – intimate second album
(Atlantic) - Tara Joshi
starstarstarstarstarI Break Horses: Warnings review – more woozy synthscapes
(Bella Union) - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarWatkins Family Hour: Brother Sister review – a model of sibling harmony
Sean and Sara Watkins are back and in reflective mood - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarBeethoven, Brahms review - Sokolov finds radical Beethoven
Grigory Sokolov(Deutsche Grammophon, 2 CDs, 1 DVD)He last gave a concert in the UK in 2007, so any opportunity to hear one of the world’s finest pianists is welcome, though this is uneven - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarCar Seat Headrest: Making a Door Less Open review – Will Toledo in yet another guise
The indie maverick is a purveyor of all styles on his studiously eclectic 12th album - Emily Mackay
starstarstarstarstarRose McGowan: Planet 9 review – raging, self-soothing escapism
The actor-director’s debut album is serious in intent, if not fully realised - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarGhostpoet: I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep review – dark but defiant
The ruminative British singer returns with an album freighted with worries - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarCar Seat Headrest: Making a Door Less Open review – cult indie star in middle of the road
Will Toledo’s alt-rockers have emerged out of lo-fi fuzz, but seem unsure of where to turn as they drift toward the mainstream - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarSneakbo: 9 Lives review – joie de vivre from Afro bashment star
(Island) - Tara Joshi
starstarstarstarstarLennon Stella: Three. Two. One. review – a serene debut
(Insanity Records) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarLes Six & Satie: Works for Piano 4 Hands review – breathless charm
The husband-and-wife piano duo delight in works by Poulenc, Milhaud, Tailleferre and co - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarLea Bertucci: Acoustic Shadows review – mesmeric 4D sound
This musical piece of civil engineering was assembled from recordings made under a bridge in Cologne - John Lewis
starstarstarstarstarJohn Legend: Bigger Love - synths, snogging and schmaltz
After his sixth album’s foray into the complexity of relationships, the syrupy singer’s seventh reverts to saccharine crooning, in praise of his wife - Alim Kheraj
starstarstarstarstarPins: Hot Slick review - Manchester trio trade indie for anodyne pop
Full of girl-group vocals and earwormy melodies, Pins tread a fine line between energetic reboot and mannered synth-pop tribute - Aimee Cliff
starstarstarstarstarMoby: All Visible Objects review – misjudged and out of touch
Seeming to prefer penning candid memoirs to exploring new musical material, Moby’s 17th album has vitality but no novelty - Rachel Aroesti
starstarstarstarstarDrake: Dark Lane Demo Tapes review – rap’s whingeing king hits a dead end
There are moments of skill and rawness in this odds-and-ends mixtape but it feels like a clumsy lunge at commercial success - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarEOB: Earth review – Radiohead's Ed O'Brien goes eclectic
(Polydor) - Emily Mackay
starstarstarstarstar